The Washington Wizards are seeing what sticks while taking several shots at developing young players, and third-year forward Cam Whitmore is one of the most unpredictable ones. The 21-year-old has failed to score double-digit points in six of his 10 games this season, but notched a season-high 19 during Saturday's 111-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Whitmore explained to ClutchPoints post-game that he's still not used to playing with the Wizards yet.

“No, not yet. It's still early. I think it's the ninth or 10th game, whatever it is,” he said. “But I'm still getting used to the new environment and new team. Trying to build chemistry with these guys…Still trying to figure out what my role is and how I can fit in…But I feel like we have a bright future, to be honest.”

Washington acquired Whitmore from the Houston Rockets for two second-round picks in July, so he's not part of its crew of young drafted players headlined by second-year center Alex Sar, second-year wing Kyshawn George, and rookie guard Tre Johnson. However, the Maryland native is auditioning to be in the team's long-term plans.

Part of why Whitmore's production has been inconsistent is his playing time. The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder played at least 13 minutes each game in October, but already has three games below that mark in November. Additionally, he played just eight minutes in Wednesday's 136-107 loss to the Boston Celtics and five in Friday's 148-115 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Head coach Brian Keefe claimed before the latter contest that Whitmore's minutes fluctuation had “nothing to do with his play,” per the Washington Post's Varun Shankar. One day later, he deployed the former Villanova Wildcat for a season-high 29 minutes, breaking his previous high of 21.

Whitmore's up-and-down usage is a product of Keefe's early-season lineup experimentation. For example, the second-year coach has played 22-year-old guard Malaki Branham in each of the last three games after previously giving him no minutes. In comparison, 24-year-old forward Justin Champagnie has started three of the last four games after playing 21 total minutes this season before the Wizards' 119-102 loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 3. He also gave second-round pick Jamir Watkins his first extended action on Friday, and fellow rookie Will Riley didn't play on Saturday after logging 32 minutes over the previous three contests.

There are only so many minutes to go around in each game, and Keefe's using the first leg of the 2025-26 campaign to evaluate each player on the roster. Eventually, the Wizards will likely send some players down to the G League for development and to free up more minutes in their rotation, which general manager Will Dawkins mentioned they'd do in his preseason press conference, via Monumental Sports Network's Chase Hughes. Once that happens, Whitmore will have less competition.

The 2023 No. 20 overall pick can also force Keefe's hand by continuing to play like he did on Saturday. He shot 7-13 from the field (3-6 3-point) with three rebounds and no turnovers after shooting 5-14 and totaling four turnovers over the previous four games. His improved play was partially attributed to playing within the offense and not forcing bad shots or running into a crowd of defenders, which he's done multiple times this season.

If Whitmore consistently harnesses his explosiveness and athleticism within Washington's team-oriented system, there's no reason why he won't have more nights like Saturday.

Wizards discuss learnings from Cavaliers loss

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Washington was competitive against the injury-ravaged Mavericks, but not against Cleveland. Veteran guard CJ McCollum discussed post-game what the Wizards could learn from the Cavaliers, who finished first in the Eastern Conference last season and have made the playoffs three straight years.

“Their ball movement, the crispness. The ability to rebound, second-chance opportunities, how they spray for threes,” the 34-year-old said. “I think all of those things are important. They obviously have a very unique team with size, athleticism, and skill. Experienced team, they've been around, they've been in the playoffs. There's a lot you can learn from the way they play. I'm sure the way they play in practice helps them succeed in games.”

Johnson also mentioned their intensity on the glass.

“The way they offensive rebound. The way their guys were crashing,” the No. 6 overall pick said. “I was boxing out and they kept going, so I feel like we could learn from that for sure.”

All of the above factors are part of why the Wizards have yet to have a close game against an elite team this year. In addition to the Cleveland and New York losses, they fell 127-108 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 30, while Boston trounced them without superstar Jayson Tatum (Achilles tendon). All of those opponents at least made the conference semifinals last season, and the Thunder won the title.

Washington shouldn't be expected to beat those squads in its rebuilding phase, but more competitive outings would show progress. On the other hand, there's still plenty to feel good about, like Sarr shooting at a 13.3 percent higher clip from the field than he did as a rookie, George nearly doubling his scoring average, and Johnson shooting 37 percent from deep to start his career.

The next step is for that individual growth to lead to wins.